Sipe Theatre
127 E. Sycamore Street,
Kokomo,
IN
46901
127 E. Sycamore Street,
Kokomo,
IN
46901
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Alliance Theater Corp., Young Amusement Co.
Firms: Bass, Knowlton & Graham
Previous Names: Strand Theatre
Nearby Theaters
Opened in 1900, the Sipe Theatre stood on Sycamore Street at Union Street. It was renovated in late-1920 when it was taken over the Young Amusement Company. It was later renamed Strand Theatre before reverting to its original name by 1941, when it was operated by Alliance Theater Corp. The Sipe Theatre was destroyed by a fire in 1967.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
Here is a February 1941 ad from the Kokomo Tribune:
http://tinyurl.com/2qfkdq
My great aunts were in vaudeville and played the Sipe in February, 1918. I am sorry that it is gone.
From Strand Newsletter 3/12/10
“The Strand Theatre Pipe Organ, endowed by the Shelby County Historical Society, has taken another step closer to rebuilding. The Strand’s organ was manufactured by the Louisville Pipe Organ Company (LPO) in 1928. It was one of a handful of instruments the firm made specifically for theatre use.
Our organ (Strand Theatre, Shelbyville, IN), Opus 531, was built in Terre Haute Indiana after LPO moved from Louisville. It was originally built for the Sipe Theatre in Kokomo, Indiana. The theatre never took the instrument, so it was installed in the Uptown Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky."
http://www.strand-theatre-shelbyville.org/
RubiTrio, or anyone: Did anyone know anything about George’s son, Earl Daniel, who married my GGGrandmother, Jean Burget; or George’s Dog & Pony Shows? Thanks in advance, Bill
BoxRec’s bout list for boxer Mike Moran has him fighting at the Sipe Theatre in Kokomo on June 14, 1920, and at the Strand Theatre in Kokomo on September 2, 1921, so the name change took place between those dates.
The August 28, 1920, issue of Indiana Construction Reporter has a notice saying that contracts had been let for alterations and an addition to a theater in Kokomo owned by Ben Barton, Sipe Theatre Company. I’ve found quite a few references to Barton in connection with the Sipe Theatre around this time. The remodeling project, which was designed by Indianapolis architects Bass, Knowlton & Graham, must have been for this house. The renaming probably took place at the time of this remodeling.
Frank Cullen’s Vaudeville, Old & New lists this house both as Sipe’s Theatre and as B. F. Keith’s Strand Theatre during the period it was part of the Keith-Albee circuit.
July 19th, 1924 reopening ad as Sipe in photo section.
Huge and massive marquee on this one. Lighting great too. Nice exterior.
The 1902 Sanborn shows this as Sipe’s Opera House, and the 1916 map shows it with a capacity of 1,000.
By 1905, the Cahn guide calls it the Sipe Theatre. It disagrees slightly on capacity, giving it as 1,100. G.W. Sipe was the manager.